NZ Indoor World Cup Qualifier Teams Named
The NZ men’s and women’s teams have been named to contest the Oceania World Cup Qualifier in June. The three-test series against Australia in Canberra 24th – 26th June will give the winning teams automatic places at next year’s World Cup in Croatia. The sport continues to thrive within New Zealand with national and international fixtures now firmly established. The teams have been selected after a series of camps.
The confirmed squads are as follows:
Women’s Squad
Tegan Buchanan (Otago), Grace Gibson (Manawatu), Oriwa Hepi (Bay of Plenty), Sophie Hildesley (North Harbour), Kathryn Moffitt (North Harbour), Beth Norman (Manawatu), Kirsten Pearce (North Harbour), Deanna Ritchie (North Harbour), Anna Roberts (Hawkes Bay), Arabella Sheild (Canterbury), Madeleine Smith (Bay of Plenty), Madeleine Williamson (North Harbour).
(TR) Hannah Cardno (Hawkes Bay) Emily Brun (Hawkes Bay)
Men’s Squad
Brennan Alexander-Parker (Hawkes Bay), Dean Armstrong (Waikato), Stephen Atkinson (Canterbury), Louis Beckert (Canterbury), Dave Green (North Harbour), Tim Greenwood (Waikato), Tim Neild (Waikato), Daniel Scanlon (Waikato), Matt Symonds (North Harbour), Benedict van Woerkom (Wairarapa), Maks Wyndham-Smith (Waikato), Jared Panchia (Auckland)
Coaches Comments:
Gaye Tarrant - Women’s Head Coach
The growth of indoor hockey in New Zealand over the past couple of years has been remarkable. What began with just a dozen individuals stepping forward to try indoor hockey and take on the challenge of competing at a World Cup, despite having limited experience, has now blossomed into a much larger pool of players vying for selection.
The intensity of the training camps gearing up for the Oceania World Cup Qualifiers has been palpable, with seasoned players being pushed by the younger talents from the U/21 team and those who showcased their skills at the national Championships.
Seven of our girls have previously played on the World Cup stage, with Oriwa Hepi also participating in the inaugural Hockey 5's World Cup. Leading the charge is Kirsten Pearce, boasting extensive experience from her years with the Black Sticks. This marks the first instance where a qualifying tournament is essential to determine Oceania's representatives at the World Cup, offering our team a unique chance to shape their own destiny.
Reiner Vellinga - Men’s Head Coach
Since the resurgence of indoor hockey two years ago, we've faced Australia nearly a dozen times, often coming up short. Our players have displayed remarkable commitment to narrowing the gap, and I am incredibly proud of the way their performance has improved over time.
With each training camp, we've witnessed a rapid improvement in the quality of our players, leading to the selection of our strongest team yet.
We've retained a solid core of players from the World Cup, of whom most have tasted recent success in Malaysia. Additionally, we've strengthened this group with the inclusion of highly skilled and experienced athletes such as Maks Wyndham-Smith, Tim Neild, and Jared Panchia.
This team possesses immense potential to achieve remarkable things in the future and has a great desire to attend another World Cup. Despite Australia's decade-long advantage in experience, our team is eager to deliver some impressive results during the upcoming Oceania Championships, just under two weeks away.